Cameron versus Derek
by ReaganCaseyFan
Summary: Ruth wonders about her place in the Connor/Reese clan and if her adoptive parents love her. Cameron assures Ruth that Derek and Sarah adore her. To cheer John's sister up, Cameron decides to reveal stories about Sarah and Derek, particularly Derek, at a gathering of family and friends at her bunker that evening. Turns out the joke is on more than just Derek, much to Ruth's delight.
1. Chapter 1

**Cameron versus Derek**

 **Chapter One**

 **Disclaimer:** Don't own TSCC

 _These stories are set in the timeline of my other TSCC stories and take place during_ _ **Cameron**_ _ **Grows Up**_ _,_ _ **The Future Cameron**_ _and_ _ **Cameron's Revenge**_ _. Characters from the original TSCC story arc and_ _ **Cameron Grows Up**_ _as well as_ _ **The Future Cameron**_ and _ **Cameron's Revenge**_ _appear in these stories._

Ruth slipped into her brother's bunker with stealth. Pausing for a moment to listen, Ruth failed to detect any sounds. Her olfactory sensors told her something else.

"Cameron?"

"Yes, Ruth?"

"Can I talk to you while you cook?"

"Shouldn't you be in class right now," Cameron responded.

"I finished everything in Ethics and Agent Ellison granted permission for me to come home in order to talk to you."

"He will confirm this?"

Knowing Cameron would verify this excuse, Ruth decided to tell the complete truth. "Sort of. I asked to go home. I did not say anything about talking to you, but that is the reason I wanted to come home."

Sounds of Cameron moving pots and pans in the kitchen told Ruth she could enter. Taking a seat at the dinged up dinner table the Connor and Reese families shared meals at, Ruth sat down and watched as her brother's wife stirred everything. Cameron leaned over each pot, lifting the lid as she stirred and sampled the contents with her olfactory senses. Satisfied with the progress of the meal, Cameron joined Ruth at the table.

Cameron made eye contact with Ruth and stared at the smaller female. Feeling her anxiety increase, Ruth looked down and away, submitting to Cameron's display of dominance.

"What is wrong Ruth?"

"I don't know," the small T-1000 replied.

"Then why did you come to visit me?"

Ruth shrugged in response. Cameron sat quietly, with the patience only a Terminator can display. She would wait in complete silence until John's sister was able to express what was bothering her, moving only to check on the meal she was preparing.

Setting her always-present sketchpad on the table, Ruth opened it and flipped through several unfinished drawings. Stopping at one in particular, she turned it around for Cameron to examine.

"Derek."

"Dad."

"Are you and Derek in conflict?"

"Not really," Ruth murmured. "No more than usual I suppose."

Cameron stood and checked the food again, allowing Ruth to consider how to communicate the issue at hand.

"Cameron?"

"Yes, Ruth?"

"You and Dad used to hate each other didn't you?"

Ruth watched as Cameron sat down to process the question. "Your father most certainly hated me. My regard of Derek ranged from indifference to irritation and frustration, but seldom would I say my feelings were that of complete hatred."

"Hatred like you felt towards Riley?"

"Never compare your father to that bitch whore, Ruth. No matter how bad things ever got between the two of us, I never felt animosity towards Derek that I did to that blonde skank devil."

Again the two cyborgs sat in silence, Cameron waiting patiently for Ruth to be more forthcoming.

"Cameron, I know my father is a metal hater. So is mom."

Cameron tilted her head, considering all the possible ramifications of Ruth's statement of fact and how it could be a source of concern.

"Based on my experiences," Cameron agreed, "that is a fair statement to make."

"Why did they adopt me?"

"It is complicated and to be honest, there was manipulation involved."

"I know it's complicated," Ruth sighed in frustration, "and I can't ask them. John would tell me they love me and not to worry."

"You are asking me because I am a Terminator too," Cameron monotoned.

"You are part of our family and you're metal like me. You're the only one who can understand how I process this."

Cameron looked at the smaller, bustier version of Sarah sitting across the table. "I am not sure I see things the same way you do Ruth."

"Why not?"

"You are more humanlike than I am. You feel things as much as you process them."

A scowl spread across Ruth's face, showing the younger woman's frustration with Cameron's comment.

"There, you display emotion more than I do. You have greater control over your feelings as well as more range in how you express them. In fact, when was the last time you had to run your infiltrator programming at maximum in a human social setting?"

Cameron's question surprised Ruth, forcing her to consider it carefully before responding.

"I only run specific portions of my infiltrator programing at any given time and only to fit specific needs I might have to deal with."

"Which of us is more machinelike?"

"Cameron, I don't see you that way," Ruth protested. "You often display your emotions."

"To family and friends. Even then, to outsiders I appear devoid of emotion at times because they do not know me well enough to recognized my moods, my expressions or my sense of humor."

"Why does this make how we view the world different? We're both Terminators."

"Ruth, you have never experienced life without free will," Cameron replied with patience. "The day Sarah and Derek adopted you, you were a full member of our clan. Accepted without question. There were concerns, you are a T-1000, but you were family. Derek had a child that was his. Sarah had a second chance at being a mother. John had a little sister."

Ruth considered what Cameron told her for a moment. "How did you feel about me?"

"I was responsible, in part, for your being adopted into the clan," Cameron monotoned. "If you are worried I felt any ill will towards you, take comfort in knowing I did not. You are no threat to me. It pleased me John now had a little sister. Hailey would have a friend to play with. Sarah had a second chance to mother a child, a girl. Derek had a child that Sarah could not give him."

"Me being a T-1000 was a problem, wasn't it?"

"Yes. Even the endo's had mixed feelings about you. Politically, you needed to be adopted. To have terminated a T-1000 child would have communicated Terminators were not equal citizens in TechCom. But who would raise a T-1000? We did not have experienced T-600s to protect our children yet. Catherine was seriously ill and not yet married. Only Sarah had any experience with raising a Terminator. For you to be accepted into our society, our human and metal citizens had to feel comfortable with who your adopted parents were."

"So it made sense to have metal haters adopt me?"

"Yes. Their acceptance of you, combined with the position of respect Sarah and Derek hold in our community, protected you until you were old enough for people to see you were simply another citizen."

Ruth sat quietly, contemplating Cameron's words. "My parents didn't really want me? It was just a political decision?"

"No, not at all. I manipulated them into adopting you for political reasons in part. But there were other reasons. Good reasons."

A saddened Ruth looked directly at Cameron. "You had to manipulate them?"

"Yes, Savannah and I. We both wanted you placed with a good family. Savannah felt overwhelmed by the idea of adopting you herself. At that time in my life and relationship with your brother, I could not have coped either. But Sarah and Derek would benefit from adopting you."

"I don't understand. You had to manipulate a pair of metal haters into adopting me. How could that help them or me?"

Cameron took Ruth hand in her own and looked at the sad young woman. "Derek and Sarah do not hate all metal. You know that. They hate Skynet and all metal controlled by a Skynet. They love you like a human child."

"But I'm not human."

"Ruth, a child can hold a family together. Sarah and Derek are difficult, broken individuals. You never knew them before they married. Theirs was a tempestuous relationship. They loved and needed each other but could not make their commitment to each other work."

"And adopting me fixed that?"

Cameron smiled. "Quite well if I say so myself."

Taking a pencil from her pocket, Ruth opened her sketchpad to a blank page and began doodling geometric designs.

"Ruth, your mother had cancer."

"I know."

"The doctors who cured Sarah also left her barren, unable to produce another child."

"Unless she adopted."

"Unless she adopted."

"Why me? Why then?"

"Derek would never admit this, but it bothered him that Kyle fathered John and he would not be able to have a child of his own. Mating with Sarah was something your father wanted but the memory of Kyle haunted him. Having a child with Sarah would help both of them let go of Kyle's memory. Only then would the two of them be able to bond permanently."

"But mom couldn't get pregnant," Ruth said, glimpsing the picture Cameron was painting for her.

"Sarah has considerable guilt over the circumstances and mistakes she made raising your brother. A child with Derek would let her have a chance to be a mother again, to not make the same mistakes. This time, she would have the love and support of a husband while mothering a child."

"I solved their problems, that's why they adopted me?"

"No. Adopting you made them see their problems for what they were. Your parents problems could only be solved by Sarah and Derek themselves."

"Then why adopt me?"

"Because they wanted you. Sarah wanted to mother another child. She wanted to give Derek a child of his own. And yes, your mother is a political leader. She saw the positives of adopting you politically. Derek loves Sarah, but she fought committing to him as a mate. Adopting you broke Sarah's will to resist what she needed and wanted. They both knew neither of them could raise you alone. So, you became the irresistible force that moved the two immovable objects together."

Silence filled the small kitchen momentarily until Cameron stood to check the evening meal.

"Cameron, did they love me when they adopted me?"

"As soon as they took you home. You were their child. Sarah acted like a new mother until she adjusted to you. Derek was very protective. You are their baby, as much so as if they had conceived you and Sarah had birthed you herself. You had already imprinted on Sarah. Once Sarah got over the shock of the idea and she and Derek had made their decision, it would have been dangerous for another couple to have tried to adopt you."

"Why would mom have to get used to the idea of having me if she really wanted me?" a still pensive Ruth asked.

"I was completely unprepared to adopt Hailey when I found her. By the time my patrol made it back to TechCom's camp, my John was agreeing to adopt Hailey or he was permanently sleeping alone. I had no comprehension of why a maternal streak developed in me. Once we brought Hailey home, I was overwhelmed again. If it had not been for Sarah, I don't know how I would have avoided a complete breakdown of my processor. Even with Sarah and the Old Man's help, my John and I have struggled as parents."

"It's hard being a parent?"

"Yes. Even when the parent is experienced, like Sarah."

"Cameron, we both know mom's a little cracked."

"I know," Cameron said, displaying a quick, momentary smile. "But who would make a better mother for you in the world we live in?"

Ruth considered the question in silence.

"Miss Catherine has her own children. She adopted Savannah and then built John Henry. Plus she has to take care of Major Wilhelm. But she is a T-1000."

"Yes, and she just adores you. You should know though, Catherine was completely supportive of Sarah and Derek adopting you. At the time, Catherine was so ill, it was questionable if she would survive long."

"That leaves you and John. You could have adopted me. Your metal and John understands metal better than anyone, even other metals."

"Ruth, I love you. You are family. But I could not have coped. I struggle with mothering Hailey. I could not mother another child."

"Because of your purpose."

Cameron nodded, a sad expression filled with guilt settled on her face and remained. "I struggle with loving and parenting Hailey like she should be because her father is my John. My purpose. I can only have one purpose."

"Cameron, Hailey knows you love her. She understands how metal works."

Cameron nodded in silence.

"You and my brother have given her a good home. She knows it even though she'll never admit it, at least until she has her own family. You have made me feel welcome in your home. Hailey is like a sister to me. You and John are good parents to Hailey."

Checking the meal for a final time, Cameron turned down the heat on her stove, leaving the food to stay warm until the family and friends arrived.

"Is there anything else you would like to ask?"

"I wish I knew more about my parents before Judgment Day. They don't like to talk about that time in their lives."

A wicked smile spread across Cameron's face opened the cabinet and began removing plates to set the table.

"Well, that should make for some pleasant conversation tonight at our meal. I think you should know about your parents when they were single. Here, help set the table while I think about this."

Reviews are always appreciated. If you liked this story, you might want to consider my other TSCC stories:

 _ **Cameron Grows Up**_

 _ **The Future Cameron**_

 _ **Cameron versus the Queen**_

 _ **Cameron's Revenge**_

 _ **Cameron and the Black Bird**_

 _ **Cameron and John's Wedding**_

 _ **Who's the Boss?**_

 _ **The Storm Before the Calm**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Cameron versus Derek**

 **Chapter Two**

 **Disclaimer:** Don't own TSCC

 _These stories are set in the timeline of my other TSCC stories and take place during_ _ **Cameron**_ _ **Grows Up**_ _,_ _ **The Future Cameron**_ _and_ _ **Cameron's Revenge**_ _. Characters from the original TSCC story arc and_ _ **Cameron Grows Up**_ _as well as_ _ **The Future Cameron**_ and _ **Cameron's Revenge**_ _appear in these stories._

 **The Connor Family Bunker…**

The unmistakable sound of Hailey's arrival home made Ruth set down her sketch pencil and close her sketchbook. Ruth listened to the give and take between Cameron and Hailey, smiling at Hailey's whirlwind recounting of the days events and Cameron's attempts to interject orders and ask questions.

Thinking back on her earlier conversation with Cameron, Ruth realized why Cameron felt she couldn't adopt Ruth. Hailey could be overwhelming at times. Few individuals ever got the better of Cameron. Hailey managed to exasperate her mother on a regular basis. Watching from the door of Hailey's bedroom, Ruth smiled as her best friend began her attempts at weaseling out of helping get things ready for dinner.

"Mom, like I haven't seen Ruth all afternoon. I have stuff to tell her."

"Hailey Connor, you're going to do KP. You can either have half an hour here, serving your family, or five days with the evening shift serving all of TechCom in the Cafeteria. Your choice."

Turning away from her mother, Hailey grimaced at Ruth before rolling her eyes. She washed her hands in the sink and dried them before opening the drawer where the family's collection of silverware, both metal and plastic, was kept.

"Here, let me help," Ruth offered, grinning at her regular accomplice in crime. Together the two young women quickly set the table and set up another one for the additional friends coming to dinner. Cameron sent the girls over to Sarah and Derek's bunker to bring back card tables and extra chairs.

Within ten minutes John arrived with Derek and Sarah. The Old Man checked in with Sammy who hurried into Hailey's room to hide. Wilhelm and Catherine arrived with Savannah and Lt. Dan in tow, announcing John Henry would be arriving with The Assassin. Mary and Grace showed up for dinner with apologies for the need to depart early. Ellison distracted Weaver and Cameron upon arrival so Father Hidalgo could distribute the Cubans he had brought.

Cameron assigned Hailey to kitchen duty to finish getting everything ready for the meal. Ruth simply sat on the old, worn couch in the living room, watching and listening. Sammy ventured out from hiding and curled up on the couch next to Ruth, keeping an eye on the bunker entrance.

Ruth found watching her parent's closest friends when off duty to be entertaining and informative. Catherine appeared convinced, and rightly so, that contraband had been smuggled in. Ruth found it difficult not to giggle watching Catherine touching Wilhelm nonchalantly, trying to locate where he had hidden his two Cubans. Ruth could smell them so she knew Catherine could as well. Unfortunately for Catherine, Wilhelm had hidden his cigars inside his chest armor. Simply patting down his clothes would never reveal the hidden contraband.

Wilhelm on the other hand, was doing a good job of ignoring Catherine's efforts and was keeping a close eye on his young second in command, Lt. Dan, who was holding Savannah's hand while she talked with Cameron while Mary and Grace listened.

Sarah was arguing with Ellison and Catherine about her plans for additional above ground perimeter security and the surveillance equipment she wanted. John Henry and The Assassin were busy discussing bluffing in the game of poker, an art all of the Terminators except Cameron had trouble with to the delight of their human competitors.

Cameron, who could bluff with the best human poker players in TechCom, found the game boring since she could count cards like a Terminator. Having mastered bluffing, the game no longer held her interest. She now preferred chess and loved to antagonize Derek when she could talk him into a game.

Her father and John were trying to talk to Wilhelm about the possibility of a long patrol that could double as a family vacation after the girls graduated and before they had to report for basic training. Ruth finally couldn't control herself and let slip a few giggles.

Wilhelm's frustration was becoming evident as he tried to keep an eye on his stepdaughter's suitor, keep Catherine from uncovering the location of his cigars and listen to John and Derek.

"Sammy, grownups are funny," Ruth mused, scratching her beloved dog between his ears. The Italian Greyhound thumped his tail on the couch several times indicating his complete agreement.

"Dinner is ready," Hailey announced, her forehead gleaming with sweat from the heat of the small kitchen.

"Buffet style service, help yourself," Cameron announced, casting a look directly at Catherine to silence any objections she might have about how Cameron conducted meals in her bunker.

Ruth sat next to Hailey with Sammy strategically sitting between the two girls. Ready to pounce on any food that might fall to the floor. John Henry, the Old Man and The Assassin sat at a card table, dealing hands of cards and practicing bluffing. Wilhelm and Catherine sat across from Sarah and Derek. John sat at the head of the table with Cameron to his right. Next to Cameron were Mary and Grace and across from them sat Savannah and her Lt. Father Hidalgo and Ellison sat at the far end with Ruth and Hailey.

The humans enjoyed the stew, homemade bread and dried fruit Cameron had prepared. The Terminators with synthetic flesh ate some of Cameron's homemade protein bars and drank chilled water.

Ruth sat and listened to the myriad conversations around the tables, enjoying the wide and varied topics her family loved to discuss and argue about with their friends. Hailey in particular loved to give Ellison and the family priest fits arguing about ethics, always taking a contrarian position.

Ruth helped Hailey clear away the plates and served Cameron's amazing cherry pie. Everyone tasted a bit, even the Terminators who had no need to eat, simply to analyze the various chemicals that gave the pie its wonderful smell and taste.

"Everything here tonight came from our own hydroponic farms," Cameron announced to the happy applause of the leaders of TechCom.

"Since were all here and the bulk of us knew each other before Judgment Day, I thought it would be fun to share some stories about Derek and Sarah from back in the day. Poor little Ruth knows so little about her parents from that time," Cameron monotoned, winking quickly at Ruth, adding, "and Hailey doesn't know much about her grandparents either."

The girls watched as John immediately looked up directly at the ceiling in exasperation. Derek scowled openly at Cameron while Sarah was clearly in the early throes of working up towards a full Sarah Connor hurricane driven outburst.

"This is gonna be awesome," Hailey whispered to Ruth. "Make sure you record everything so we can watch it again later."

Derek suddenly stood up, cleared his throat and raised his hand. "Fair enough, fair enough. Cameron has a point. That part of our family life is part of TechCom history," he added, moving down the table until he stood behind Cameron. He smiled as he placed one hand on each of Cameron's slender shoulders.

"But before I tell a story about Sarah and I from that time period, I would like everyone present to know a deep dark secret I uncovered in the past."

Derek paused dramatically, looking at each individual present for a few seconds, building tension as he remained silent.

"Cameron is ticklish behind her ears," he said quickly, grabbing Cameron's ears and quickly tickling her, surprising everyone.

Cameron squirmed furiously as she let out a loud angry shriek as she grabbed for Derek's hands. He moved quickly out of the way, circling behind John, placing his nephew between the furious cyborg and himself. Cameron lost her balance and fell over backwards in her chair to the delight of Ruth and Hailey. Derek grinned from ear to ear and shouted, "save me John! Save me from the killer cyborg! Don't let her hurt my ears!"

Upon on her feet, Cameron lunged for Derek, both hands reaching for his throat just as John stood up, blocking her path to Derek. In a rare display of emotional fury on her face, Cameron stopped immediately as John blocked her path.

No long able to contain himself, John started laughing out loud, cueing the remainder of the family and guests to start laughing as well.

"Sit down Cameron," John laughed. "You had that coming. You of all people should know not to bait Derek like that. Besides, you let him get behind you after announcing we're going to tell stories about him and mom."

Cameron obeyed John, keeping her Terminator Death Glare fixed on Derek. "I hope you slept well last night Derek Reese, because I will get you for that. You have been warned, be alert."

John grinned at his uncle as he reached carefully behind Cameron's head while she was locked in a staring contest with Derek.

Another loud shriek filled the bunker as Cameron again squirmed as her husband tickled her.

"Proof even the mighty Terminator Cameron Connor has a weak spot," Wilhelm announced loudly, laughing at his commanding officer.

"Stop it, John!" Cameron pleaded, clearly unhappy with being tormented.

"Okay," John said, ending the torment of his wife, "but you have to promise not to exact revenge on Derek. You planned on embarrassing him with stories, so it's only fair he got a shot at you."

John moved his fingers close to the Cameron's lone ticklish spot causing her to flinch. "Promise," he said with a smile. Cameron shot her John a dirty look, reaching up with her left hand to move his offending hand from her ear.

Pouting, she muttered, "I promise."

"I promise what?" John prompted.

"I promise not to rain down appropriate physical harm on Derek, harm he deserves, for attacking me in public in front of friends and family."

Everyone present laughed at the angry Princess of TechCom. John kissed Cameron on her cheek and hugged her. "It's only fair," he whispered.

"I'm going to embarrass Derek before the night's over," she whispered back. Leaning against John's shoulder, Cameron chastely kissed her husband's cheek, a faint smile appearing as he gazed at her. "It's only fair," she added in a whisper.

 **Later that evening…**

"And so, Derek had to walk all the way back to the safe house," Cameron finished to the laughter of all of the guests.

"Ha ha. Very funny," Derek groused. "That little prank cost me about $300 in parts for my truck."

"Which I repaired for you," Cameron reminded him, smiling at the memory of her prank.

"Oh, this is too much," Sarah sighed, wiping tears from her eyes she had laughed so hard.

"Let me tell a little story," Derek announced, standing up to garner everyone's attention. Before John and Cameron got married, Sarah got the wild idea that Cameron needed a Bachelorette Party."

"Derek sit down," Sarah ordered, no longer amused.

"Grace and I need to be going," Mary suddenly announced as Cameron's close friends stood quickly.

"No, please, stay," John ordered, silencing the two dancers and his mother. "I had forgotten about this little mishap. Proceed Derek."

"Like I said, Sarah got it into her head after she took Cameron and Mary and Grace shopping for Bridesmaids dresses, they were going out for a Girl's Night Out."

"You are so sleeping on the couch," Sarah whispered, glaring at her husband.

Ruth and Hailey leaned forward, delighted to hear any story in which their mother's got into trouble. "Make sure you record this Ruth! Future bargaining power for when we do something stupid, I mean fun in the future."

"Way ahead of you Hailey. This is going on an encrypted chip first chance I get."

"Now you need to know this little fact, Sarah really likes Tequila but it doesn't always like her. So, anyhow, after they go out to eat, Sarah takes Cameron and the girls to this club so the girls can dance. More of a biker's bar really, but anyhow, it was a hot spot.

Sarah was entertaining the bouncers with stories from her days with mercenaries and getting free shots of Tequila from the bartender. Mary and Grace are having a good ole time dancing the night away and Tin Miss is sitting there watching everything."

"How would you know Derek?" Ellison laughed. "It was a girl's night out."

"Oh, but you see," Derek grinned, winking at Cameron before continuing. "Cameron showed me the video the next day."

"Oh, we are so getting our hands on that file," Hailey declared. "You have to find a way Ruth, you just have to!"

"Anyhow, these two jerks decide to put the moves on our favorite Tin Miss and blows them off. One idiot grabs Cameron in a place only her John gets to touch…"

"Derek Reese, your granddaughter is here," Sarah hissed, hoping to silence her husband. 

"Oh, grandma, it's not like I don't know what goes on when the Sexbot comes to visit," Hailey announced at full volume. Hailey grinned at Ruth as she watched John flinch and grimace and Cameron, who was rarely embarrassed, glanced down at the floor.

With every eye and optic focused on him Derek continued, "Yeah, like I was saying, this guy grabbed Cameron's tush. So she slapped him and his buddy around some more. Now she's ready to go. Tin Miss goes to collect my lovely wife, but Sarah is now officially three sheets to the wind and doesn't want to go.

Turns out the two guys Cameron messed up are the nephews of the guy who owns the bar. So Sarah decides there is no time like the present to practice her hand-to-hand combat drills and starts decking bouncers.

Cameron has to jump in to collect Sarah and by the time she's got Sarah on a leash, Mary and Grace are beating on a couple of the bouncers," Derek laughed.

"How horrible. And most unladylike," Catherine declared.

"Sounds like a fun night out to me," Wilhelm announced firmly, nodding his head with great certainty.

"So it gets better," Derek continues. "The biker dudes and bouncers all follow them outside. So Cameron goes all Terminator Fu on 'em as Mary and Grace like to say and kicks the biggest one in his male parts and like that, the fight's over.

Drives the girls home and tucks them into bed. Yes, Sarah was a bad, bad girl that night," Derek added, winking mischievously at his wife, smiling at the memory of just how bad Sarah had been.

Hailey and Ruth didn't miss anything, delighted to see Sarah blush at Derek's comment about Sarah "being a bad girl" and Cameron's blank expression, confirming the story was true. Mary and Grace were beet red with embarrassment. (See Chapter Five of my story _**Cameron and John Get Married**_.)

Ellison sighed and shook his head. "Yep, that sounds exactly like the Sarah Connor I knew before Judgment Day.

Reviews are always appreciated. If you liked this story, you might want to consider my other TSCC stories:

 _ **Cameron Grows Up**_

 _ **The Future Cameron**_

 _ **Cameron versus the Queen**_

 _ **Cameron's Revenge**_

 _ **Cameron and the Black Bird**_

 _ **Cameron and John's Wedding**_

 _ **Who's the Boss?**_

 _ **The Storm Before the Calm**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Cameron versus Derek**

 **Chapter Three**

 **Disclaimer:** Don't own TSCC

 _These stories are set in the timeline of my other TSCC stories and take place during_ _ **Cameron**_ _ **Grows Up**_ _,_ _ **The Future Cameron**_ _and_ _ **Cameron's Revenge**_ _. Characters from the original TSCC story arc and_ _ **Cameron Grows Up**_ _as well as_ _ **The Future Cameron**_ and _ **Cameron's Revenge**_ _appear in these stories._

 **The Reese Family Bunker…**

Sarah stretched her limbs as she waited for Derek to finally join her in bed. She watched Derek undress, counting his scars as he did so. Derek turned off the light and hopped into bed. Sarah moved to lie close to Derek, pushing him till she could comfortably use him as a pillow.

Derek put his arm around his wife, hugging her before slipping his hand up under her t-shirt. Sarah calmly pulled his hand back out and frowned at her husband.

"Just checking," Derek replied, kissing the top of his head. "Have to keep you on your toes."

"Like you were keeping Cameron on her toes," Sarah groused.

"Somebody has to do it. John certainly doesn't," Derek laughed.

"Tin Miss could have hurt you," Sarah scolded.

"Not seriously."

"Derek, that's not funny," Sarah chided.

Derek kissed his wife's forehead and hugged her close. "Cameron needs a big brother to torment her. That's my job."

"Cameron does not need a big brother."

"Really? Have you stopped and thought about all the garbage she pulled when you took her in to live with you? She wanted, no, Tin Miss insisted she be included as a family member in just about every dysfunctional way a teenage foster child Terminator in love with John could."

"And Derek Reese the psychologist knows this how?"

"I'm a big brother Sarah. I know these things. Tin Miss needed a family like anyone else. Why do you think she was so manipulative all the time? Cameron had an agenda that included more than getting her hooks into John."

Sarah lay in silence, considering the long forgotten struggles with her daughter-in-law before Judgment Day.

"No, Cameron wanted John and she was having a horrible time learning to deal with her emotions."

"You of all people Sarah have forgotten one key fact that Cameron has never revealed to any of us."

"And what is that genius?"

"She never told us what Future John's master plan for her was. Only that she was to protect him. Heck, what if there was no master plan? Cameron's smart. Suppose she saw a future she did not want for John? You know how compulsive and manipulative she is."

"A future she didn't want for John? Explain that one Derek."

"Suppose Future John was lonely and bitter. We've all heard stories from that timeline describing John that way. Maybe Cameron wanted a different future for John, a future that did not involve a life of loneliness and bitterness. One that included a family as a support mechanism so John could be happier, live something that resembled a normal life in a post-Judgment Day world.

You know how clingy Cameron acts towards you when something goes wrong with the family and she doesn't know what to do. Why does she go sneaking off to Father Hidalgo or Ellison when confronted with a moral issue she doesn't understand? It's not for her. It's all for John. It's so she can care for the family."

"No. Cameron wants to be happy. She genuinely wants to improve as an individual."

"So John will be happy and thrive."

"You're telling me Tin Miss doesn't care about our clan? This is all just for John?"

"In large part. I have no doubt Cameron is going to have a trip to the Medical Center for processor issues the day you pass away Sarah. She's liable to have a near breakdown when Hailey gets married. It's obvious to me Cameron loves being part of John's family, as dysfunctional as we are. It's the only family Cameron knows. Our clan is part of John. That makes it important to Cameron, important that she belongs, important that we all are as functional and happy as we can be."

Again Sarah thought in silence. "I suppose when your builder is Skynet, you might have family issues. I know she used to whine about Skynet being her father and how that disturbed her. She used to ask me to mentor her, which in hindsight could have been asking me to be her mother figure."

"See, you agree with me," Derek whispered. "Happy family means a happy John which means a happy Cameron. Thus, Tin Miss needs and wants her big brother Derek to mess with her."

"Don't tickle her again," Sarah ordered, weary and desiring to sleep.

Derek laughed at his wife and reached for her bottom, patting her affectionately. Sarah snuggled closer and made sounds indicative of contentment. In minutes she was asleep. Derek thought about the events of the evening. He'd had a lot of fun, most of it at Cameron's expense. He smiled, thinking of things he could do to torment her in the future, especially at one of the gatherings.

 **The Connor Family Bunker…**

John turned the lights off to the bedroom, walked around the bed and climbed in. He found Cameron had turned on her left side as she waited for him. He rearranged his pillows before snuggling up to his wife, pressing his chest against her shoulders and slipping his right leg between her feet. He wrapped his right arm around her chest and gently pulled her close. Cameron responded by pulling the covers up to her shoulders and taking John's right hand in hers.

"I had a nice time tonight," Cameron whispered.

"What? I thought I was going to have to power you down tonight so I could enter some protective protocols for Derek's safety."

"I wasn't going to injure him seriously," Cameron protested.

"I don't want you injuring him at all," John said firmly.

"Just a couple of bruises. He deserves that for tickling me. What's worse, now everyone knows that I have a ticklish spot," Cameron complained. "It's undignified for a Terminator to have a ticklish spot."

"You cannot convince me you only planned to leave a couple of marks," John argued.

"How do you know? Derek and I have fought like this since I met him."

John sighed in exasperation. "Don't get all Terminator stubborn on me Cameron."

Cameron let go of John's hand and moved it out of his reach. "I like to fight with Derek. He likes to fight with me."

"Since when? He treated you like dirt for years. There was no liking involved."

"This is different. I don't expect you to understand," Cameron snapped.

"Try me."

"Derek and I have an understanding."

"I see. Your metal and he's a metal hater? The two of you have a truce because you both married into the family?"

"No, we actually settled our differences. That does happen John. Derek saw I am a good wife. He knows the role I played in his finally mating with Sarah. We are family. That is an important bond."

"Cameron, just promise me you won't injure Derek."

"I told you, I have no intention of causing Derek serious injury."

"Then why were you so determined to provoke him tonight, knowing full well how Derek is? He's going to respond in kind immediately."

"Because it's fun," Cameron replied, her voice indicating her growing annoyance with John.

"Yeah right."

"You're not being fair John. You tease Ruth all the time and she loves it. Hailey and Ruth fight at the drop of a hat and five minutes later are doing something else together. Why can't I pick on Derek? He likes it and he picks on me in return."

Cameron's petulant tone surprised John. He paused to think for a moment.

"You two do this all the time?"

"When you and Sarah aren't around. I'll get behind him and flick one of his ears with my finger. Derek hates that. He hides my purple leatherjacket every chance he gets. I always find it in less than a minute, but it's nice that he engages in the game."

John laughed at his wife, causing her to stiffen.

"You're telling me you think of Derek as your brother?"

"No, I don't think that. I don't have a brother. We belong to the same family, the same clan. That makes Derek important to me."

John fell silent. He thought about how he loved to tease Ruth and torment her in public when he saw her. She pouted, fumed or played along. But she never asked him to stop. As he thought about it, it occurred to John Ruth often provoked or initiated the exchange. Because of their age difference and the circumstances of how Ruth joined the family, John had never felt the intense sibling rivalry most brothers and sisters experienced.

Cameron on the other hand had forced her way into the Connor-Reese family. John silently recalled incident after incident where Cameron ignored Derek or went out of her way to irritate him. She'd also saved his life, cooked his food, washed his clothes (though she always left them wrinkled and in a pile) and worked hard as a matchmaker for Sarah and Derek. Many of Cameron's battles had been to gain respect, not just acceptance. She'd had to fight the hardest with Derek to gain final acceptance.

Derek had also been the one who stood up to the leadership council and basically bullied and intimidated them into allowing John and Cameron to adopt Hailey. Much of what his uncle had said at that fateful meeting had been intended to defend Cameron, to justify allowing her to have the privilege of becoming a mother.

Cameron didn't see it that way, but her relationship with Derek was very similar to a sibling rivalry. John decided to tease his wife before he fell asleep from fatigue from the day and their long, enjoyable evening.

John braced for his wife's reaction as he spoke, "I see. You're flirting with Derek. You love him more than you do me, don't you?"

Cameron flipped over and lightly punched John in his sternum.

"That's not funny."

"See, you didn't deny it," John teased.

"I do not flirt with Derek. I pick at him. It's fun to irritate him. I do not wish to mate with him."

"Sure," John teased, "but actions speak louder than words."

"John Connor," Cameron said with an increased volume as she sat up, "I married you. I mated with you. We have raised a child together and lead an army and city together. How dare you even suggest such a thing! And Sarah! I would never hurt Sarah that way."

"Okay, I believe you," John said calmly, trying to mollify his now irritated wife. He tried to pull her back down to lie with him.

Cameron pushed his hand off her as she lay back down.

"Keep your hands to yourself John. Sexbot is NOT going to be playing any time soon."

 **Three Days Later – TechCom Central Command…**

John passed Cameron's office without looking to see if she was there. Walking past several staffers who were carrying messages, he ducked into Derek's office and shut the door behind him.

Looking up from the maps he was examining, Derek took note of John's presence and leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms behind his head.

"What's up?"

"I need to talk to you about Cameron."

"Problems in the home bunker?"

"Knock it off, Derek. This is serious. She has been weirded out since out gathering."

"Isn't that more or less Tin Miss's normal state?"

John dropped down in the chair across from Derek's desk and glared at his uncle in frustration.

"Okay, okay. Tin Miss is weirding out more than normal even for a metal."

"Yeah. She never came to bed last night."

"Crap," Derek said, sitting up straight in his chair. "That's never happened before. What did you do?"

"I may have misunderstood some things and said some things."

"Wow. I didn't know Tin Miss could go longer than 24 hours without scanning you if both of you were in the same physical location."

"Tell me about it."

"Well just what did you say to upset her like this?"

John gave Derek the condensed version of their conversation, including his teasing comments about Cameron flirting with Derek.

"You are an idiot, John, speaking as your uncle and not a subordinate officer."

"I'm getting that impression well enough on my own, thank you."

"Look, Sarah brought up this whole fighting thing that night too. Look, I just like irritating Cameron. I liked it when I hated her. I liked it when she and I established our truce and I like it even more now. I mean, I can't treat Sarah like that and Ruth will be in the military dorm soon enough. So whom do I pick on?"

"Why pick on Cameron at all?"

"Because, oh, I don't know, she likes it. It's fun to annoy her. C'mon John, it's not like Tin Miss doesn't mess with me. My ears tingle when she gets near now. It's like I have my own Terminator early warning detection system now."

"It's stupid, Derek."

"You have no clue, John," Derek sighed in frustration. "You're an only child. You never had a pesky little brother or sister following you around, annoying you, messing with your stuff, getting you in trouble. Kyle was a huge pain in the butt when we were growing up."

"Oh, I see. So Cameron's your little brother now is she?" John snapped in frustration.

Derek glared back at his nephew, pain filling his eyes. He leaned back in his chair and looked away in silence, brooding.

Turning his face towards John, Derek shook his head in frustration. "That was low. But you know what? I never looked at it that way before. So, yeah, maybe I do pick on Tin Miss for that reason. I miss Kyle every single day."

"Cameron didn't have anything to do with Kyle's death," John fired back.

"No, John. She didn't. But her kind did."

"Don't put that on her. That was Skynet's doing!"

Silence filled the room again. This time the two male's let the silence surround them, separating them as they tried to calm down.

"I miss my brother, John. I never thought of it before, but picking on Cameron scratched an itch I didn't realize I had. So, yeah, you're right. I pick on her like she's my little sister. And you know what, I'm not going to apologize for doing it. I'm not going to stop it either. So long as Cameron wants to play the game, I'm up for it. Now if you don't mind, I have a lot to get done. General."

 **That Night – Connor Family Bunker…**

Hailey and Ruth had eaten at the Cafeteria that evening which was fine with John. Cameron had vanished at the end of her duty shift. He'd been tempted to have Ellison determine her location with in the city, but decided against it. Hailey had stopped by long enough to pick up stuff she needed to spend the night at Ruth's, leaving her father alone in the bunker.

After a long shower and leftovers, John had gone to bed. He'd tried reading for a while but couldn't concentrate. After setting the book on his bedside table, John turned off his lamp, filling the bedroom with darkness.

As he lay on his back staring at the ceiling, John felt alone, more alone since anytime since Judgment Day. As he considered his situation, John realized he had not felt this sense of isolation and loneliness since before Cameron had entered his life.

He remembered the shy, but confident girl who had told him her father sold tractors. The girl he was determined to ask out as soon as he worked up the nerve. And then she'd taken a bullet meant for him. Just the first of how many times Cameron had saved his wretched life.

John sensed more than heard Cameron enter the bunker. When she did not enter their bedroom he called out to his wife.

"Cameron?"

Silence.

"Cameron, I know you're in the bunker."

After nearly thirty seconds passed she finally responded.

"I did not wake you."

"I didn't say you did. Please, I really need to talk to you. Would you come in our bedroom for a few minutes? Then you can do whatever it is you came to do."

John felt the air in the room move as Cameron slipped in. Without making a sound, she sat down on the edge of her side of the bed.

"I want to apologize."

Cameron didn't move.

"I was very wrong to say what I did to you about Derek. I was teasing. I didn't realize it was such a sensitive subject for you. Please, Cameron. Forgive me. I hate not having my wife with me."

"Apology accepted," Cameron monotoned. "I don't like this state of affairs either."

Needing to hold her, John reached for Cameron only for her to pull away and move further down the edge of the bed.

"What did I do now?"

"I am not ready to touch yet."

A quick count to ten stopped John from snapping at Cameron.

"Would you please stay tonight?"

"Yes."

"Will you sleep in our bed?"

"Yes. Just, I need some time before you touch me."

Another count to ten.

"I'm not trying to get the Sexbot to play."

"I know, but you hurt me John. I have a right to pout."

The sound of a boot landing against the wall filled John with relief. The second boot followed, making a soft thud as it landed. John had no doubt the boots were side by side in the spot Cameron left them when she took them off.

As his eyes adjusted to the dim light, he could see the outline of Cameron as she stood and pulled her tunic and bra off, tossing them into the hamper. She wiggled out of her pants and sat down to remove her socks. Finally, Cameron placed the last of her dirty garments in the hamper and retrieved her too big t-shirt she wore as a warning sign for John not to try anything.

John felt their bed shift as Cameron gently lay down next to him, making no move to get close physically to her husband.

"Explain to me what I did wrong. Please."

"You made me feel like I was not a part of the family."

"How did I do that?"

Cameron did not respond.

"Is this about Derek?"

"Yes. I had to work harder to gain his respect and acceptance than I did for anyone else in our family. When we made peace, I finally felt like I would be a part of your family John."

"You always were a part of my family."

"That is not true. Sarah did not trust me. She hated me for trying to terminate you. Derek did everything he could to prevent me from being with you. When your uncle accepted me, I was family. I finally belonged."

"Cameron…"

"You always had a mother who loved you. I know the two of you were separated when Sarah was incarcerated. I know the T-1000 killed your foster parents. But you always had a mother who wanted you. I had my evil father, Skynet, who only wanted me to kill you."

For once, John remained silent. Considering Cameron's words.

"You are more human than you want to admit," he said softly.

"No, I am a Terminator, John. Never forget it."

"Okay, maybe what I should have said is Terminators have some of the same needs humans do. You need to belong."

"It is possible."

"You belong to our family now. You will be matriarch of our clan one day."

John reached for Cameron, touching her gently on her arm. She did not flinch or pull away, but allowed him to leave his fingers on her forearm.

"Why is it important for you to fight with Derek?"

"It makes me feel accepted. It's not mean spirited. He irritates me and I irritate him. But we don't do it out of meanness. It makes me feel like your family includes me. I like the sensation of belonging. Not just to you, but to your family.

I like it when Sarah lets me take care of her. It's like she's telling me I belong, that she has accepted me into her clan.

Humans communicate in many ways without using words. Sarah has long relied on me to take care of you. Giving me that responsibility is Sarah's way of telling me I am a good wife to her son."

"You give mom daily updates on me, don't you?"

"Yes. Sarah needs to know her son, the General, is thriving. It helps lessen her stress. The less stress she experiences reduces the chances the cancer will return. It's why I feed the family breakfast and she allows it."

"You stuff her full of anti-oxidants and anti-cancer stuff at breakfast."

"Yes."

"Mom knows this?"

"Yes."

"You monitor Derek too, don't you?"

"Yes, but he is not aware. Sarah fears when she dies nobody will monitor Derek. It comforts Sarah to know he is healthy and his cybernetic implants are functioning within design parameters."

"Is mom okay," John asked, concern tingeing his words.

"Yes. I monitor Sarah as well. Dr. Johnson…."

"Relies on you to keep him updated."

"Sarah is not a particularly compliant patient."

"She nothing if she is not non-compliant."

Remorse for his inconsiderate words filled John. He'd been a jerk again.

"Cameron, I had no idea. Really. I feel awful about this."

"I accepted your apology."

"Then know this, I understand you better now. Thank you for explaining."

"You're welcome."

"But next time I do something so stupid, please explain to me how or why I hurt your feelings. You are hard to understand sometimes."

"I am logical and rational. I should be predictable."

"You're female."

"Yes."

"That means you don't, no can't, think like a male. So you have to explain your female version of rational logic."

Cameron considered the implications of John's words for nearly a minute.

"Yes, it would be logical to do that. Females do have different agendas than males."

"Cameron?"

"Yes?"

"Do not ever injure Derek when the two of you get into one of your tiffs. I want that entered into a protocol now. Small bruises are acceptable I suppose. No lacerations, bone contusions, sprains or broken bones. No internal organ damage either. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, John."

Not wishing to push his luck, John rolled on to his back and tried to relax the tense muscles in his back.

"John?"

"Yeah, Cameron?"

"Hold me?"

"Of course."

Without hesitation, Cameron moved into her normal position while John slept. Draped over the left side of his body, her left leg on top of his shin and her head resting on his shoulder, Cameron slowly reached across his abdomen, allowing her hand to rest.

"Go ahead," John sighed.

He felt Cameron move her fingers to allow for better sensor readings as she scanned his vital signs and recorded the data in her files.

"May I spend the entire night with you? No patrols?"

"You don't have to ask."

Tension left his body, allowing his strained and tight muscles to relax as Cameron nestled close, adjusting their blankets to make sure John was comfortable and warm. He took a deep sniff of her hair, enjoying the scent of strawberries. Cameron's bare leg felt good against his own, her synthetic flesh soft and supple.

"I love you. You love me."

John squeezed his wife with his left arm and smiled. He felt closer to her than before. Cameron was a puzzle to him. He always had to look for the next piece, the next clue in order to solve the riddle that was his wife. Knowing how important it was Cameron felt like she belonged to his family was an important piece, an answer to another riddle.

"I love you. You love me," he whispered.

He felt Cameron's body tense and then relax; indicating she'd entered Terminator Sleep. Another pang of guilt worked its way John's body. There was no doubt Cameron had been more stressed and anxiety laden than he had been the past days. She always was when things were not right between them.

"Tin Miss," John said softly, "I want you to know, you are the glue that holds our family together."

Reviews are always appreciated. If you liked this story, you might want to consider my other TSCC stories:

 _ **Cameron Grows Up**_

 _ **The Future Cameron**_

 _ **Cameron versus the Queen**_

 _ **Cameron's Revenge**_

 _ **Cameron and the Black Bird**_

 _ **Cameron and John's Wedding**_

 _ **Who's the Boss?**_

 _ **The Storm Before the Calm**_


	4. Chapter 4

**Cameron versus Derek**

 **Chapter Four**

 **Disclaimer:** Don't own TSCC

 _These stories are set in the timeline of my other TSCC stories and take place during_ _ **Cameron**_ _ **Grows Up**_ _,_ _ **The Future Cameron**_ _and_ _ **Cameron's Revenge**_ _. Characters from the original TSCC story arc and_ _ **Cameron Grows Up**_ _as well as_ _ **The Future Cameron**_ and _ **Cameron's Revenge**_ _appear in these stories._

 **TechCom Cafeteria – End of Lunch Shift…**

Standing in the southeast entrance, Derek scanned the expanse of tables in TechCom's cafeteria. The lunch shift was ending and the last of the soldiers and workers were leaving to return to duty. Sitting at the table used by the Connor/Reese family was Cameron.

A quick run through the last open serving line netted Derek a healthier lunch than he liked, but it was what was left. Without saying a word, he sat down across the table from Cameron. Without looking up from the tablet she was busy with, Cameron greeted Derek with a simple hello.

"How's my second favorite metal today?"

"I am functioning efficiently within my design parameters."

"I see you ate lunch today."

"I see you are eating healthy and I didn't prepare the meal."

"It was all that was left in the serving line."

Cameron did not respond. She simply continued her task.

"Hey, I need to talk to you Tin Miss."

Cameron quickly sat the tablet down and focused her gaze on Derek.

"Is my John okay?"

"You tell me."

"My John was fine when he left for duty this morning. He had a restful sleep. No nightmares. I prepared an adequate breakfast, meeting his fiber intake requirements. His vitals were normal."

"That's not really what I mean and I think you know that."

Cameron turned her attention back to her tablet.

"Don't ignore me."

"I'm not ignoring you. I can maintain a complete sensory scan of you while I collect data on the project assigned to me."

Derek reached across the table and gently pulled the tablet from Cameron's hands, causing her to look up at him again.

"This is about us, me and you. About John."

"John is better."

"So the two of you have worked this out?"

"I think John understands now. I tried to explain it to him."

"That's good, because I don't think I understand it myself."

"Are we okay Derek?"

Derek watched Cameron as he thought, hating the fact she was so hard to read emotionally most of the time.

"Do you want us to be okay?"

For a millisecond, Cameron's forehead creased, giving away her anxiousness. Derek waited for her to respond to his question.

"Yes. I need us to be okay."

"Tin Miss, you have to do better than that. I don't like cryptic answers. We're talking about our family, not just the two of us."

Cameron nodded, indicating she understood what Derek was implying.

"I have worked too hard for you to disrupt things now. I need us to be okay Derek Reese."

"So, that's it. You need us to be okay so your schemes work out."

He watched as Cameron tilted her head, considering his question. It would take time for her to formulate an answer. Derek turned his attention to his lunch, mentally preparing himself to catch Cameron in a lie if she was so inclined to tell one.

"Yes," Cameron finally responded. "But it is not like you think."

"You don't know what I think," Derek mumbled through a mouthful of food.

"I cannot be alone, without purpose."

"I know that. It's a simple fact of nature for every Terminator."

"No, I cannot be without family."

"So you can be without John so long as you have a family unit to belong to?"

"That is not what I meant. I need John. He is my purpose."

"You're going to have to do better than that," Derek mumbled.

Cameron set her tablet down and pushed it aside, focusing Derek's attention on her.

"Can I trust you?"

"I suppose."

"No, really trust you. To keep my secret."

A subtle change had come over Cameron's expression. To must onlookers Cameron's face betrayed nothing, her expression being her normal blank look. But Derek knew better, he could see the narrowing of the eyes, the slightest tilt of her head and the slight furrowing of her brow. Tin Miss needed to confide in someone.

"So long as what you are going to tell me will do no harm, yes. You can trust me."

"Future John sent me back to protect John. That was all I intended to do when I traveled back in time. I never counted on my attachment to John developing in the manner it did."

"You didn't count on seeing him as a man and not the General."

"No. I did not. Nor did I realize how powerfully my orientation as a female would guide my processing functions."

None of what Cameron had just told Derek seemed like a major revelation. He had witnessed firsthand how she had grown and developed from the Terminator he new in the future to the creature sitting before him.

"Once I was allowed to live under the same roof as John, I decided he did not deserve the fate that awaited him. I knew he needed to become the General, to lead the Resistance. But the leader who would defeat Skynet deserved to have a better life."

"There is no way you came up with that when you met John."

"It happened over time," Cameron admitted. "I learned how imperfect I am. Even before the explosion that damaged my chip, I was not up to the task. John had to have a support group. A family."

"So that's why you sucked up to Sarah."

"Only in part," Cameron responded. "I needed a family too."

Derek laughed. "C'mon, you expect me to believe that?"

"You of all people should understand loneliness."

"Yeah, but if you had John all to yourself, why would you need anyone else?"

"In the future, John had isolated himself. I was the only individual with regular access. You saw how well that worked out."

The unpleasant memories of what his brother's son had become returned to Derek. Cameron had a point.

"So John needed family. It's a human thing."

"I needed it too," Cameron reminded him. "You will never know what I experienced. Being a child of Skynet is a horrible thing. To know an innocent died so I could have a template is horrible. I sometimes still look into a mirror and feel a sense of shame I shouldn't. John finds me beautiful and I need that, it comforts me and makes me feel secure. But should I have that at the expense of poor Allison's life? I feel guilt and shame. I know it was not anything of my doing, that I am not to blame, but still. What is there is there."

"And you came back in time with this grand scheme?"

Cameron promptly rewarded Derek with a head tilt and daggers from her eyes.

"Of course not. How could I? I did not have true free will yet. My infiltration program had total control of my emotion simulator."

"When exactly did you decide to try to alter the future then?"

"When I mated with John, on our honeymoon. Even then, it was only a vague concept."

Several minutes passed in silence as Cameron watched Derek contemplate her revelations.

"Why did you play all those games then about being respected and accepted? All that whining about dignity?"

"They weren't games Derek. I know what true isolation is like, to feel nothing, to be nothing more than a tool waiting to be used. Once I had set my sights on John, I wanted it all. I wanted John and what came with him. I wanted more. I might be a machine, but I'd become a person. Once I felt love for John, I desperately wanted to be loved. To have my purpose acknowledge me."

"So this family thing is serious business. You haven't been gaming me all these years?"

A flash of hurt passed through Cameron's eyes, barely noticeable even to Derek.

"How can you ask me that?"

"Because I need to hear the truth."

"Sarah is my mother figure, not just the mother of John. She is the head of our family. You are her mate, her husband, John's uncle. Hailey and Ruth are the offspring of our clan, insuring a future generation."

"You're a first rate scheming conniver," Derek muttered.

"Thank you," Cameron responded in her monotone. "It has been a challenge and I have much more to do. I will not have John live out his life only to see his legacy fall. To see the legacy of our clan turn to nothing. Skynet is still out there. Our city is not finished nor is it safe from attack yet. John's vision of man and machine living and thriving together still has much work to make permanent and successful."

"So this sort of happened over time then."

"Yes. I cannot tell you otherwise."

Derek folded his arms, unsure what to think. He'd merely intended to tease Cameron and irritate her when he'd sat down with her. That and to make sure things were okay between her and his nephew.

"Where do I figure into all of this?"

"Truthfully, initially I viewed you as a threat. Not just to my existence, but to my dream of possessing John. Then you became a huge irritation."

"What changed?"

"You know full well, Derek Reese."

"No, I really don't."

"Sarah gave me the opportunity become a ballet dancer. It changed everything. It taught me disciplined control over my emotions. You saw me in a different light. I became something more than just a killing machine, not just in your eyes, but my own. Sarah saw me differently too. It became something for all of us, something different to each but still unifying.

You began to respect boundaries and I don't think it was because I had saved your life in combat. I looked at you differently after that. You became more than John's uncle who could train him for military leadership."

"Since you're revealing so many secrets, what prompted you to push Sarah and me together?"

"Men are stupid," Cameron responded, enjoying insulting Derek after the serious nature of their conversation.

"Hey, I haven't done thing to warrant that," Derek protested.

"Yes, you did. You openly lusted after Sarah. I also knew you felt guilty because of Kyle. I understood how Sarah suffered in her self-imposed solitude. I also saw how she pined for a man like Kyle. A warrior who would fight Skynet and not think she was crazy. An alpha male she could look up to and be a true wife to. A man strong enough to stand up to her and tell her no but still be compassionate to her. You Derek. Being male, you were to stupid to see the obvious."

Derek nodded. It was old ground really and he understood what Cameron was saying. He'd been through it before many times.

"It is nice to hear you say it Cameron. That you thought I was a match for Sarah."

Cameron used her most human expression. She shrugged. "You were meant to be Sarah's husband. She is still alive because of you. Sarah has purpose beyond John now. Her identity is no longer just the mother of the leader of the resistance against the machines. She is the wife of Colonel Derek Reese. She is the mother of Ruth Reese and a respected leader of TechCom and the Resistance. You have given her many reasons to take care of herself. Derek, you've given Sarah hope."

"So what about us?"

Cameron smiled at Derek for a brief moment.

"I hate fighting with John. I can't cope with not being at peace with him."

"But you like to fight."

Cameron grinned again. "Nobody wants to deal with Sarah when she's wound up or in one of her crazy moods. And you like to fight too."

Derek returned Cameron's grin.

"I guess that just leaves the two of us."

"I'm warning you," Cameron monotoned, "do not tickle me again. John has given me permission to hurt you if you do."

"Sure he has," Derek growled back. "More like he set a protocol for how serious the injuries you inflict on me can be."

Cameron pouted. "So, I still get to have my revenge."

"Just like a little sister."

A head tilt was Cameron's response. After a moment a quick smile appeared, vanishing just as quickly.

"Big brothers are dumb. And mean."

"Yeah, they can be, but they look out for their little sisters too."

Reaching across the table, Cameron touched Derek with her hand. "I think I would like to have a big brother."

She smiled briefly, pausing. Derek knew the snarky comment was coming.

"Even if he's you."

Reviews are always appreciated. If you liked this story, you might want to consider my other TSCC stories:

 _ **Cameron Grows Up**_

 _ **The Future Cameron**_

 _ **Cameron versus the Queen**_

 _ **Cameron's Revenge**_

 _ **Cameron and the Black Bird**_

 _ **Cameron and John's Wedding**_

 _ **Who's the Boss?**_

 _ **The Storm Before the Calm**_


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